Everything about Khalsa totally explained
Khalsa (
Punjabi:, literally "Pure") refers to the collective body of all
baptized Sikhs. The Khalsa was originally established as a
military order of "saint-soldiers" on
30 March 1699, by
Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth
Sikh Guru. It was the name given by the Guru to all his disciples baptized in the
Amrit Sanchar ceremony.
The symbolic meaning of Khalsa translates as "belonging exclusively to
Guru Gobind Singh". Guru Gobind Singh describes in his book, the
Dasam Granth the qualities of Khalsa:
The Khalsa is the reflection of my form,
The Khalsa is my body and soul,
The Khalsa is my very life....
....Our enemies are vanquished by the steadfastness of Khalsa,
Unlike countless others, we're adorned by the Khalsa.
A Sikh who has been initiated in Khalsa is known as a Khalsa Sikh or
Amritdhari, as opposed to
Sahajdhari.
History
The word Khalsa is derived from
Arabic word
khālisa[h] خالصة ("pure/devoted"). In the Sikh tradition, the term first appears in a
hukmanama (order) by
Guru Har Gobind (the sixth Guru), which refers to a
sangat as "
Guru ka khalsa" ("Guru's own Khalsa"). It also appears in a letter by
Guru Tegh Bahadur (the ninth Guru), in the same sense.
The word Khalsa when written in
Persian script consists of five letters. These are
khe (it represents Oneself),
alif (it represents God),
lam (signifies Labbaik),
swad (alludes to master), last letter is again
alif pointing to
azadi (freedom). The word represents
The Five and Sikh tradition translates it as the Sikhs of Guru Gobind Singh engaged in pleasant coversation.
Guru Gobind Singh addressed the congregation from the entryway of a small tent pitched on a small hill
(now called Kesgarh Sahib). He drew his sword and asked for a volunteer who was willing to sacrifice his head. No one answered his first call, nor the second call, but on the third invitation, a person called
Daya Ram (later known as Bhai Daya Singh) came forward and offered his head to the Guru. Guru Gobind Singh took the volunteer inside the tent, and emerged shortly, with blood dripping from his sword. He then demanded another head. One more volunteer came forward, and entered the tent with him. Guru again emerged with blood on his sword. This happened three more times. Then the five volunteers came out of the tent unharmed. These five, who were willing to sacrifice their lives for their Guru, were called
Panj Piare ("the five beloved ones"). All previous beliefs relating to family, occupation, customs and ceremonies were declared useless by the Guru and salvation could be achieved only by the ways of the Khalsa. This caused uncomfort to those who considered themselves to be superior races and they protested. Many departed from the ceremeony, but the Guru declared that the low castes should be raised and would dwell next to himself.
Sri Gur Sobha (18th century) by Sainapati (Saina Singh) contains two sections (
adhyays) on the controversies that arose, when Guru Gobind Singh's disciples in
Delhi heard the news of his new order. Much of the controversy stated in
Sri Gur Sobha revolves around
bhaddar, the ritual shaving of head after death of a close relative, which was discouraged by Guru Gobind Singh. According to Sainapti, while creating the Khalsa, Guru Gobind Singh said that
bhaddar is
bharam (illusion), and not
dharam. The Dal Khalsa fought with the Mughals and the Afghans, eventually resulting in the establishment of a Sikh kingdom in the Punjab region.
After the fall of the Mughal empire and the later establishment of a Sikh state in
Punjab, the Khalsa became an instrument of the Punjab Maharajas: the Khalsa was a democratic body, and could oppose the Maharaja. By the death of
Ranjit Singh in 1839 the regular army of Punjab was assessed by Sir Lepel Griffin at 29000 men, with 192 artillery guns. The irregular levies were estimated at a similar number.
Modern status
The Khalsa order attracted the vast
Jat peasantry of middle and eastern Punjab, and over the years, the Khalsa Sikhs became the orthodox majority in the Sikh community. The rise of Khalsa dominance in the Sikh community is sometimes associated with rise of Jat influence in the Sikh community, and the decline of the
Khatri influence (all ten Sikh Gurus were Khatris). However, W. H. McLeod states that while the Khalsa may incorporate powerful Jat influences, it would be a "naive interpretation" to regard the Khalsa as an "institutionalized conquest of the (Sikh) Panth by its Jat constituency". Although most of the early Sikh immigrants to Canada were non-Khalsa, and a majority of the members of the society were clean-shaven non-Khalsa Sikhs, a faction objected to the election of a non-Khalsa to the management committee. The factions in Vancouver and Victorial broke away from the Khalsa Diwan Society, and established their own gurdwara society called Akali Singh.
Khalsa code of conduct
A Khalsa needs to follow rules and codes of conduct set by
Guru Gobind Singh. The
Reht Maryada (code of conduct) is based upon guidlines laid down by Guru Gobind Singh in 1699.
Five Ks
The Five Ks (see
Five Ks), or
panj kakaar/kakke, are five items of faith that all Khalsa are required to wear at all times, at the command of the tenth Sikh Guru,
Guru Gobind Singh who so ordered at the
Baisakhi Amrit Sanskar in 1699. They are:-
They are for identification and representation of the ideals of Sikhism, such as honesty, equality, fidelity, meditating on God, and never bowing to tyranny.
Distinction between Khalsa and Sahajdhari
All Khalsa Sikhs are
Sahajdharis
(non-baptized Sikhs) at some point in their life. In Sikhism, the children are not baptized at birth because the ceremony requires the individual to become a Khalsa Sikh by
free will. The person aspiring to be a Khalsa must be able to speak, read and recite from the
Sikh scriptures. All Khalsa Sikhs must follow a very strict code of conduct for the rest of their lives. As Khalsa all Guru Gobind Singh's codes of conducts and daily religious practices must be followed
for life with no infraction
(only exception being if the person is ill or unwell so can't do the daily pray). Since the initiation into the Khalsa is a serious step, only a person mature enough to understand and accept the Khalsa way of life should undertake it. However, there are several cases of younger people being initiated into Khalsa.
Due to these hard requirements many people are
Sahajdhari Sikhs.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Khalsa'.
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